Proposed The Wake County mental health facility seeks to provide comprehensive care. To assist in the construction of a new facility in Garner, WakeMed is awarded $12 million in government grants.
From Ben McNeely
When regional and federal representatives and hospital executives convened in Garner Town Hall in southern Wake County to announce the grant of $12 million in funding to assist with the construction of a new mental health facility, the gift of a suncatcher became a sign of hope.
In the audience was Rachel Moorefield. At the age of 19, her son Isaac committed suicide in 2018. Through their grief, her family created suncatchers as a way to commemorate Isaac and his upbeat nature. To represent and honour support for the cause of mental health treatment, she brought one to the announcement event.
According to Moorefield, who just relocated from Minnesota to North Carolina, it’s critical for anyone struggling with mental health concerns to have access to compassionate care. She claimed that as she and her family searched for the support he required to manage his depression, Isaac didn’t experience compassion.
The difficulties Moorefield and his team had included, “getting him admitted and feeling like he was in a prison, feeling like it was in the basement.” “[The mental unit] was tucked away in a corner; the staff members were dressed in brown; the doors were locked; and there was no sense of hope for him.
“It just felt like here you are, and here, we’re going to keep you, and then send you on your way,” Moorefield recalled.
With a new campus in the largest county in the state, WakeMed is now attempting to transform the way mental health care is provided.
Inline 2020 – NC Paediatric Society
The Raleigh-based system intends to construct two facilities in Garner — a 150-bed mental health and wellness hospital and a 45-bed acute care hospital — at a location close to White Oak Road and Timber Drive East, an area that has experienced rapid growth in recent years.
The health system announced $12 million in government support for the new mental health hospital on Friday. Wake County and the federal government each contributed $6 million towards the total. Both recently retired U.S. Rep. David Price (D-NC 04) and U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross (D-NC 02) were there for the announcement; they had fought for the funding during the appropriations process in Congress.
taking a holistic approach
According to Donald Gintzig, president and chief executive officer of WakeMed, the new hospital aims to combine mental and physical health services into “whole person” treatment.
We didn’t want it in a remote location; we wanted it in the county. An acute-care hospital was already on the agenda for this location. So why not be fearless and creative with that whole-person concept? he questioned.
Instead of focusing on treating one particular condition at a time, the National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health states that “whole person health focuses on restoring health, promoting resilience, and preventing diseases across a lifespan.”
In the past, according to Gintzig, the health systems dealt with mental health differently and, in some circumstances, didn’t even mention it. However, he claimed that the epidemic made pre-existing issues worse, leading to an increase in drug overdoses, sadness, and anxiety. People sought assistance from emergency departments, which led to a problem that healthcare institutions have struggled to solve.
Gintzig recalled that for many years, the attitude was “Well, if we just don’t look, it’ll go away.” “We don’t discuss it because it doesn’t exist. Let’s concentrate on heart disease and all the other crucial issues. We are aware that it persisted and will continue to do so.
